June is here and one way to beat the heat is to chill with a good book. Below are four books that will keep you entertained:
A Good Excuse To Be Bad by Miranda Parker
My view:
Miranda Parker’s debut novel A Good Excuse To Be Bad kept my eyes glued to the pages. Evangline “Angel” Crawford is a no-nonsense type of woman who will do whatever she needs to do to get the job done. Readers will love Angel’s quirky personality. Drama doesn’t find her, she chases it. A Good Excuse To Be Bad has all the right ingredients to make it a great summer read.
About the book:
Angel has to admit she’s feeling restless. The only excitement in her new life is her schoolgirl crush on the town’s new pastor, Justus-too-Hot-to-be-Holy Morgan. But a fateful encounter and a job gone wrong at Club Night Candy in underground Atlanta is about to change all that… Soon, Angel’s trying to save her divazilla twin sister from her big mouth and a scandalous murder charge, and probing a church cover-up–with none other than Justus by her side. But Angel has one more pressing concern: will Bella be ready for kindergarten? Only time will tell for this bad girl gone good whose days are once again far from boring–and hopefully far from numbered…
No One in the World by E Lynn Harris and RM Johnson
My view:
The collaboration between the late E Lynn Harris and RM Johnson won’t disappoint fans of either author. No One in the World is a fast-paced read. Its suspenseful and with twins who grew up on two seperate sides of the track, there’s a whole bunch of drama. The twists and turns is what made No One in the World a great summer read.
About the book:
E. Lynn Harris and RM Johnson— two powerful voices of a generation—unite with an insightful and emotional project that tackles themes of family, loyalty and identity.The untimely passing of the beloved New York Times bestselling author E. Lynn Harris has left fans pining for more. With this collaboration, fans are given the book they’ve been clamoring to read—and the book that Harris and Essence bestselling author RM Johnson long wanted to write.Cobi Winslow, a handsome, well-educated district attorney, knows nothing about the life of his estranged twin brother, Eric Reed, a career criminal raised in the foster care system. Following their parents’ death, Cobi searches for and finds his brother, hoping to regain lost years.Meanwhile, Cobi navigates the pressures of society as he lives life in the closet. The stress comes to a head when he learns that in order to inherit the wealth of his father’s estate and save the struggling family business, he must marry a woman before he turns thirty-five. The task becomes more convoluted when Cobi’s sister proposes to pay Austen Greer, a once-successful and wealthy businesswoman who lost everything in the recession, to be Cobi’s wife.Eric discovers Cobi is gay and promises to keep it a secret. Instead, he entrusts the information to his former prison cellmate, Blac, who endears himself to Cobi in hopes of securing a $150,000 loan from him to pay back a debt racked up by cocaine sales. As the clock runs down both on Blac’s efforts to pay his deadly creditor and on Cobi’s attempts to save the family company, rash moves are executed, family and friendship bonds are tested, and life-altering sacrifices are made.
The Deal, the Dance and the Devil by Victoria Christopher Murray
My view:
The Deal, the Dance and the Devil by Victoria Christopher Murray is different than the Jasmine Larson Bush books. Readers will be introduced to a new set of characters. Adam and Evia Langston is a couple trying to make ends meet and is offered a once in a lifetime opportunity. Readers will enjoy the rollercoaster ride as they watch the lives of Adam and Evia change. The surprises in between the pages of The Deal, the Dance and the Devil makes it a great summer read.
About the book:
What would you do for five million dollars? Adam and Evia Langston have lived in their own little garden of Eden since the two married at the age of seventeen. Working their way up from the humblest of beginnings, the Langstons have thrived beyond anything they could have ever imagined. Now they live in the finest home, drive the best cars, and indulge in all the trimmings that signify their massive success. But then the recession hits and rips apart the family’s financial stability. Unable to support their three children and other relatives, Adam and Evia find themselves drowning in financial trouble and teetering on the brink of complete disaster. With nowhere to turn, the Langstons have no idea what to do. Until Shay-Shaunté, Evia’s multimillionaire boss, comes to the Langstons with a five-million-dollar offer that seems so hard to refuse. Will the Langstons make this deal? Or will they recognize that the glitter of five million dollars may be far from gold?
Mogul by Terrance Dean
My view:
Mogul is Terrance Dean’s debut novel. Dean does a great job of weaving a tale of drama, lies and deceit. While reading this engaging story, readers will wonder how much of what’s in between the pages is really fiction. The candid display of what happens in the life of one factitious music producer makes Mogul a great summer read.
About the book:
From the Essence bestselling author of Hiding in Hip Hop and an entertainment insider—a juicy debut novel about the “down-low” life of one of New York’s most beloved Hip Hop producers. After the sudden death of his father, a renowned jazz musician, Aaron “Big A.T.” Tremble clings to music as an escape. Making hip hop beats becomes his life. His love for music lands him at the estate of Larry “Pop” Singleton, a retired and respected Hip Hop music mogul who sees something special in Big A.T., and he also knows the truth about his sexuality. With Pop’s blessings and nurturing, Big A.T. is on the path to becoming the next great Hip Hop producer in New York. With the help of Pop and “the family,” a network of secretly gay men in the Hip Hop world, Big A.T. finds success and starts his own music label. He’s signed and worked with some of the biggest Hip Hop artists in the country. One of them is Brooklyn native lyricist, “Tickman.” Together they are making sweet music together. Tickman and Big A.T.’s relationship goes beyond producer and rapper – they become secret lovers. Nothing can stop Big A.T. All of the radio stations play his music. He has money, fame, and Jasmine, his girlfriend who doesn’t know about his secret love for men. However, at the pinnacle of his career, compromising photos of Big A.T. land on the desk of a national news program—and in the hands of his girlfriend. Big A.T., for the first time is at a crossroad in his career: come out publicly with his secret or watch his music empire crumble.
Arthur Hayes is a talented musician leading one of the hottest jazz quartets in Atlanta. His dedication to music is overshadowed by a dark past that continues to haunt him. When his mentor, Big Al, commissions a New York-bred artist, Naomi, to paint a mural in his club — she is intrigued by Arthur’s love for music and drawn to his wounded heart. This is only the beginning as this door also welcomes a whirlwind of passion, jealousy and other twists from the bedroom to the stage to the streets.
